Service dog alerts two men to fire

A man’s service dog alerted him Monday morning to a fire in his home, according to Hillsboro Fire and Rescue. The smoke alarms in the home didn’t work.

The man woke up and smelled smoked. He heard the crackling of flames outside his room, and when he tried to open his bedroom door the intense heat deterred him. Instead, he told fire crews he crawled out his bedroom window after throwing his dog out first.

Hillsboro Fire and Rescue didn’t identify the men involved.

Then, fire crews say he ran to his front yard and yelled to his brother who was sleeping in the front bedroom. His brother left the house by the front door.

Meanwhile, at 7:30 a.m., Todd Dimmitt drove by the fire on his way to work at Station 2 for Hillsboro Fire and Rescue. He called 911 and alerted his coworkers at Station 2.

The fire had moved from the living room to the attic by the time fire crews arrived, and flames and heavy smoke escaped from the back corner of the home.

Hillsboro and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue teams extinguished the fire in 20 minutes.

Neither of the brothers in the home or the service dog were hurt, but four cats inside the house died.

A fire investigator has not figured out what started the fire.